| Partnership building towards the sustainable management of Lake Mainit |
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| Wednesday, 07 September 2011 | |
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The Lake Mainit Development Alliance was formed for the sustainable development and management of Lake Mainit. Lake Mainit is the fourth largest lake in the country, and is shared almost equally by two provinces, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte.
While it is not a proclaimed protected area under the NIPAS system, the stakeholders viewed the lake ecosystem as significant and took the approach of alliance building for the management of the area. Applying for protected area status under NIPAS was considered, but due to the mineral rich resources in the area, some believe that such an application will not push through.
The roots of the Lake Mainit Development Alliance were established in 1999, when the University of the Philippines conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment training for the municipalities in the area. The municipalities were also inspired by the Provincial Agricultural Investment Center or PAIC which was a collaboration of municipalities in Surigao del Sur (Carrascal, Cantilan, Madric, Carmen, Lanuza and Cortes). The PAIC was an alliance that helped facilitate the access of these municipalities to agricultural investments. With that local alliance in mind, the provincial governments of Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Norte, and the municipal governments of Sison, Mainit, Tubod, Alegria, Kitcharao, Santiago, Jabonga and Tubay decided to form an alliance for the protection and management of the lake. The decision to collaborate was prompted by proposed development initiatives that would have had adverse impact on the lake environment. For the full ESSC report, click here and for the accompanying map click here. |
